The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-02-24
" SHALL WE HAVE MORE FER.
JURY?'

his Is Tue QucSJlOH WHICH JDe 4 TLUuHe
asked, yesterday morning, in conDec-
ton with the probable action of the
Mormons in the matter of the oath
provided ia the Edmunds-Tncke bill.
Our contemporary undertakes to con
vince its readers that the Mormons
cannot consistently take the cath, and
that if they do they will be guilty Of
perjury. The logic of the Tribune is
Tribune logic; in other words, it is
a bald assertion without reason or
proof. ne-polygamous Mormons
who do not propose. to DC conae pod ygz
amists can take the oath without
violence to their conscience, while there
can be no suggestion of perjury in the
act, whether or not they propose 10
marry more than one woman.
But THE HERALD repeats the Tfi6ane'S
question, and asks, ''Shan we have
more periury?" We ask it, not in con-
nection With the taking of the oath by
the Mormons, bat With the view to in
curing whether or not the Liberals and
Loyal Leaguers can take the oath. All
the talk and all the discussion which
have been indulged in have been based
on the superstition that the oath re-
qaires only a promise on the part Of
men that they will obey the law in re-
spec5 of po!ygamy and unlawful CO.
habitatSoh, and will not aid, abet, etc.,
others to commit those crimes.
In their eagerness to attack the
Mormons there has been a losing
sight Of the law by the Tribune and. itsi
followers. Let US see what the oath re-
quires as condition precedent to the
right to register or vote. 1t requires a
promise from the citizen possessing the
local statutory qualifications, that he
will support the Constitution of the
United States and will faithfully obey
the laws thereof, and especially will
obey the act of Congress approved
March %, 1892, entitled An act to
amend section 1852 of the Revised
Statutes of the United States, in refer
ence TO bigamy, and for other purposes,
and will also obey this act fucker
Edmunds) in respect of the crimes in
said act defined and Forbidden, and
that he will not, directly or indirectly,
aid or abet, counsel or advise, any other
person to commit any of said crimes. ~
The Tribune treats the matteras ifSthe
only crimes in the acts mentioned were
polygamy and unlawful cohabitation,
and upon that basis assumes that only
Mormens will be concerned about taxi
ing the oath but there are other crimes
named and defined in, the actsmention-
ed, and they are crimes which concern
only Liberals and Loyal League fl .nds
of the Tribune. The third section of the
at names and defines, adultery as
crime and makes it punishable by,
thres years imprisonment. How many
Lib erals are there who should hesitate
about taking the oath while that section
is in the law? II 1.-The list
which created sach a sensation
eighteen Snonths ago. is still in
existence. it can name good
many Loyal Leaguers who ought to
hesitate III regard to taking the oath
much longer than the NJ ormon with
one wife. The fifth sect on of the act
makes fornicatioR by an unmarried
man punishable by six months li1n :
prisonment, and fine OF 500. 1 How
many of the unmarried. Liberals are
willing to swear that they viii not
violate this section of the law II. the
married Liberals ana the unmarried
Liberals will take the oath prescribed
and will faithfully keep their promise,
greater moral reform viii be wrought
than has ever been brought about in
any country by legislation; the women
of easy virtue will be compelled to lead
lives of honesty, and adultery will be
so rare in Utah as to make the enforce
ment of the law against it unnecessary.
When it comes to taking the oath TO
obey the law in respect of the crimes
mentioned therein. how will it be
with those United States deputy
msrshals, those ex assistant Dis
trict Attorneys, those generous Loyal
Leaguers and those loud -mouthed
liberals who were arrested On the
charge of lewdness Few months ago,
and whom the District Court refused
to prosecute? VIII they take the oath
and thus commit what in the Mormon.
the Tribune would call perjury? How
will it be with those other Liberals and
Leaguers who have not been arrested
but who take small pains to conceal the
fact that they consort with vile women,
or maintain mistresses? Will they
take the cath TO obey the law, and add
Trituae peIjlry TO their souls?
In discussing this oath matter and
asking if Mormons can take it, the Lib j.
erals and their newspapers should not
lose sight of the fact that the laws to
noe f GOV